Elizabeth Braren ’77: In Tune with Her Students

In 1974, Garden City’s Cathedral School of St. Mary hired Elizabeth Braren ’77 to create and teach its fifth- through 12th-grade music curriculum. She accepted the position as an Adelphi University sophomore working toward her teaching degree, and she excelled.

Fast forward 39 years and you’ll find Ms. Braren teaching on Marco Island, Florida, heading up the music program at the Tommie Barfield Elementary School. She sees more than 600 students a week for a 50-minute class in Collier County, which has the largest school district east of the Mississippi River and boasts 3,500 students. That’s a lot of names to remember.